Starting and running a social enterprise

'How to revive a neighborhood: with imagination, beauty and art', Theaster Gates

Videos

Theaster Gates, a potter by training and a social activist by calling, tells his story of transforming abandoned buildings to create community hubs that connect and inspire those who live there. A famously inspiring talk, it shows how problems can be reframed as opportunities, how to start with what you’ve got, how to make something out of nothing and how culture can be a catalyst for social transformation.

'Problem Framing Canvas Workbook', Griffith Centre for System Innovation

Guides

This handbook helps you answer, ‘what problem are we really trying to solve with our social enterprise or project?’ Understanding this helps to find better solutions. This canvas and supporting guide offer a selection of tools to help you frame problems, recognise different types of problems, and open up opportunities for action.

'Where good ideas come from', Steven Johnson

Videos

Steven Johnson is an innovation thinker and writer. In this video, he outlines the main ideas from his book: 'Where do good ideas come from?' He shares recurring patterns he has noticed that are present in historical times of great creativity and innovation.

'The DIY Toolkit', NESTA

Guides

NESTA is an independent charity based in the United Kingdom that works to increase innovation capacity in the UK. They have developed this toolkit to help people invent, adopt, or adapt ideas that can deliver impact. It features 30 practical social innovation tools that are quick to use and simple to apply.

'The Field Guide to Human-Centred Design', IDEO

E-books

IDEO is a global design agency known for its human-centred approach. This Field Guide to Human-Centred Design represents how IDEO thinks about design for social impact. It includes 57 clear-to-use design methods for new and experienced practitioners, plus case studies.

Impact Boom Blog and Podcast

Podcasts

Impact Boom has undertaken 100s of interviews with social entrepreneurs and change-makers from across Australia and around the world. Produced as podcasts and blogs, their platform provides an amazing range of impact insights and stories.

'Business Model Canvas Explained', Strategyzer

Videos

A 2-minute introduction to the Business Model Canvas - a tool that helps people design and develop business models for new ventures. This method comes from Strategyzer's best selling management book Business Model Generation and has been used by entrepreneurs and enterprises around the world.

'Using the Business Model Canvas for Social Enterprise Design', Ingrid Burkett

Guides

This booklet goes beyond the Business Model Canvas as a general tool. It outlines how Ingrid Burkett, an Australian social entrepreneur, applies the Canvas to the specific needs of social enterprise. The booklet walks you through how to use the Canvas step-by-step.

'Why the Lean Start-up Changes Everything', Steve Blank (Harvard Business Review, 2013)

Articles

This is a pivotal article by entrepreneur and educator Steve Blank, published in the Harvard Business Review in 2013. The article introduces the lean startup methodology, which emphasises rapid experimentation, customer feedback, and iterative product development.

Social Startup Studio

Platforms

Social Startup Studio is an initiative by Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Its goal is to support and foster the development of social enterprises. The studio website offers a huge range of practical resources for social enterprise startups.

Social Shifters

Platforms

Social Shifters is an international charity helping the next generation of young leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to tackle the world’s most pressing social and environmental issues in new ways. Their website offers e-learning, videos and downloadable digital tools to support social enterprise startups.

'The Social Entrepreneur's Playbook', MacMillan and Thompson (2013)

Books

This is a paid resource. Written by Ian C. MacMillan and James D. Thompson and published in 2013 the book provides a step-by-step framework for launching and scaling a successful social enterprise, drawing on the authors' extensive experience in entrepreneurship and social innovation.

Nature positive business models

Articles

This online resource by Wedgetail brings together multiple examples of nature-positive business models being explored around the world.

People and Planet First (PPF)

Platforms

People and Planet First is a participatory verification and a global collective that’s helping accelerate the transition to an economy that puts people and the planet first.

What is a social enterprise?

Other

A social enterprise is a business that puts people and the planet first. They trade like any other business but exist specifically to make the world a better place.

Seedkit

Platforms

Seedkit is a nationwide project and platform that helps social enterprises measure and communicate their impact. Its self-managed reporting platform allows social enterprises to measure, track, and communicate operations and impacts via customised dashboards and reports.

'Now we are all measuring impact', Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation

Articles

A rich introduction to the history of measurement and how different drivers have informed how we think about, and practice, impact measurement and evaluation today. Also includes some useful graphics that help distinguish different terms and approaches from each other.

‘Expanding Concepts of Scale’, Gord Tulloch

Articles

‘Can you scale your social enterprise?’ is a question often heard. This blog by Gord Tulloch challenges a narrow view of ‘scale’, which usually refers to volume and growth. Tulloch suggests there are five pathways to achieving ‘scale’ or impact, including increasing numbers, changing the rules, changing beliefs, changing norms, and changing the conditions that enable agency and distributed action.

Introduction to Theory of Change from NESTA's DIY Toolkit

Videos

A Theory of Change articulates the link between intentions, activities, outputs, and outcomes. It presents a hypothesis of how we think we can create change in the world. This short video uses an example to explain how to use the tool to define goals and the pathways to reach them.

Theory of Change: Framework for Social Impact from SoPact

Videos

This video offers an alternative framework for creating a Theory of Change. It’s led by Chris Gaines from SoPact, a US-based social enterprise.

'Ventures at the Helm', Budzyna et al.

Guides

This report provides an excellent guide to developing impact measurement and management strategies. Critically, it advocates for enterprises adopting different strategies depending on their stage of development versus a one-size-fits-all approach.

Common Approach to Impact Measurement

Guides

The Common Foundations from Canada provide easy-to-understand general guidance on measuring impact. The report focuses on five essential practices that comprise a minimum standard of impact measurement.

Prepare for funding, SEFA

Reports

Created by SEFA, this guide outlines four key areas—Purpose, Plan, Profit, and Prudence—for social enterprises to focus on when preparing for funding.

'Impact Investment Playbook', Impact Investing Hub

Guides

The free, self-directed Impact Investing Hub Playbook supports Australia’s impact investing ecosystem, offering modular content on Impact Investing, Impact Measurement, and Revenue Diversification, tailored for investors, advisors, and organisations seeking investment.

The Funding Centre

Platforms

The Funding Centre is a portal providing information on grants and fundraising in Australia. It is an initiative of Our Community, a social enterprise that provides advice, tools and training for Australia’s community sector, as well as services for business and government.

Social Investment Explained, Big Lottery Fund

Guides

"Social Investment Explained" was produced by the Big Lottery Fund and Social Enterprise UK. It aims to help community and social enterprises understand investment options and readiness requirements. While it’s UK-based it offers good questions for consideration for Australian organisations too.

'Social Investment Manual: An Introduction for Social Entrepreneurs', Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

E-books

This manual offers social entrepreneurs a practical guide to building relationships with social investors, covering the investment landscape, strategies for finding and approaching investors, and best practices for due diligence and negotiating lasting partnerships.

Raise Finance, BCCM

Platforms

This guide offers essential insights into how social enterprises can expand funding beyond grants and donations by involving their community and members. This guide focusses on how you can achieve this by using a co-operative structure for your social enterprise.

The Community Investment Handbook

Guides

The Community Investment Handbook is a guide for communities and practitioners on establishing cooperatives to meet local needs, raise funds, and build circular economies within the framework of national legislation.

Financial management and governance - resource centre, Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA)

Platforms

ICDA supports community sector governance with training, accredited courses, tech tools, free resources, and financial guides for not-for-profits and social enterprises.

Financial management and governance guide for NFP organisations, CPA Australia

Guides

CPA Australia’s guide aids not-for-profits, including social enterprises, in finance management, governance, risk, compliance, and tax—vital for sustainable operations.

‘Social enterprise guide: Legal issues to consider when setting up a social enterprise’, Justice Connect

Guides

Justice Connect’s guide helps social enterprises with legal needs, covering structures, governance, setup, compliance, and operational issues for all stages.

‘Indigenous Governance Toolkit’, The Australia Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI)

Platforms

The AIGI Indigenous Governance Toolkit supports Indigenous organisations in building strong, culturally-rooted governance.

'How to Be a Super Board Chair', Huggett and Zitter, Stanford Social Innovation Review

Articles

This Stanford article outlines nine strategies for effective board leadership in social enterprises, focusing on building legacy, fostering respect, clarifying roles, and supporting executive success. Key tactics include tailored board experiences, efficient meetings, succession planning, professional recruitment, feedback, and addressing underperformance, all aimed at creating a collaborative, impactful board culture.

'The Governance of Social Enterprises', Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Guides

This guidebook, made by and for social entrepreneurs, covers building effective boards to balance social mission with financial goals. It includes advice on governance structures, board composition, recruitment, roles, and managing conflicts, highlighting how governance needs evolve as social enterprises grow.

Intellectual Property Australia (IP Australia)

Platforms

Protecting intellectual property is essential for social enterprises. IP Australia offers info on patents, trademarks, and more, including registration support.

#BeyondtheRules — Balanced governance and ‘behaving well’ everywhere, every day.

Articles

Dark Matter Labs examines governance in social enterprises as an interconnected system, focusing on balancing power, autonomy, responsibility, accountability, and risk. It challenges traditional hierarchies, linking governance to broader social issues, and introduces the "Beyond the Rules" initiative.

Support for businesses in Australia

Platforms

This Australian Government website offers essential legal and governance info, covering business laws, risk management, health and safety, plus tools and templates.

Australian Copyright Council (ACC)

Platforms

The ACC is a non-profit legal service offering resources on copyright law, with guides and fact sheets for creators, including social enterprises.

Legal Structures for Social Enterprises – a nationwide conversation on law reform

Articles

On Monday 17 August 2020, the Australian Law Reform Commission co-hosted with the University of Melbourne a webinar with a panel of experts discussing the potential for a future ALRC inquiry into legal structures for social enterprises.

Australian Tax Office (ATO)

Platforms

The ATO offers essential tax and super info for businesses, including social enterprises, covering worker status, payments, and related obligations.

SafeWork Australia

SafeWork Australia offers resources for workplace health and safety, including psychosocial safety. Black Dog Institute supports mental health with free NSW training. Local SafeWork bodies, like SafeWork NSW, also provide helpful resources.

Nature on the board - an open source guide

Guides

This guide shares, in plain English, how Faith in Nature recognised the legal Rights of Nature within its organisational structures. Based in the UK, It sets out how they went about it and the changes made to their ‘Articles of Association’.

‘Pitching and fundraising’, Acumen Academy

Articles

The Acumen Academy offers free online courses and resources for social entrepreneurs. Their blog series on fundraising and pitching social enterprises provides valuable insights for changemakers seeking to refine their pitching skills and increase their chances of securing support and funding. 

'Start Your Social Enterprise', Social Enterprise UK

Guides

While not specifically about pitching, this comprehensive guide serves as an excellent resource for preparing a social enterprise pitch. Use it as a valuable checklist and preparation tool, to help organise your thoughts and information in a way that resonates with investors, partners or supporters.

'Your Guide to Making an Excellent Investor Pitch Deck', Vinay Kevadiya

Articles

This short blog focuses on developing a pitch deck for ventures seeking funding. It shares practical tips, a template to structure your pitch as well as common questions. Since it’s from a conventional business perspective you’ll need to consider where your impact proposition should be included.

‘The Best Startup Investor Pitch Deck’, J. Skyler Fernandes

Guides

This is a useful guide and template for creating effective investor presentations. It combines crowd-sourced input from top industry experts and the author’s personal experience. It also shares examples, practical design tips and strategies for addressing investor concerns.

‘Lights, Camera, Action: How to Craft a Compelling Pitch Video’, Indiegogo

Guides

Crafting a compelling pitch video can provide you with an excellent (and multi-use) resource. This guide shares tips for creating standout videos, different story arc models and advice for working with production agencies.

‘Making Embassy with Tyson Yunkaporta’, Regeneration Rising, Season 2 Episode 11

Podcasts

Discover Tyson Yunkaporta’s concept of “making embassy,” which fosters respectful, reciprocal, and meaningful relationships between people, groups, and systems. Rooted in Indigenous cultural practices, it emphasises relationality, shared purpose, cultural respect, and adaptability. Explore how this dynamic approach creates spaces for dialogue, collaboration, and the intersection of diverse knowledge systems.

‘The future of management is teal’, Frederic Laloux

Articles

Frederic Laloux's article explores Teal organisations, a progressive management model emphasising self-management, wholeness, and purpose. It outlines organisational paradigms, highlights successful examples, and offers insights for social enterprises to balance purpose and effectiveness, even with partial adoption.

‘Brave New Work’, Aaron Dignan

Videos

This video features Aaron Dignan, author of Brave New Work, sharing insights on transforming outdated work practices.

‘Managing volunteers’, Justice Connect

Guides

This Justice Connect guide outlines the key legal obligations organisations have towards volunteers. It provides practical examples, templates, and tips to help organisations navigate crucial areas, including the legal differences between volunteers, employees, and contractors; managing volunteer relationships; ensuring volunteer safety; addressing unlawful workplace behaviour; and handling intellectual property, privacy, and record-keeping issues.

‘How To Have Challenging Conversations. Tips From Organisational Science’, Thinking About Teaching

Articles

This resource, adapted from the teaching profession, provides social enterprise leaders with strategies for navigating challenging management conversations. It highlights the ineffectiveness of "hard sell" or "soft sell" approaches in driving change and maintaining relationships. Instead, it introduces the "Open to Learning" framework, emphasising validity, respect, and commitment. Leaders are guided to approach conversations with shared decision-making and an open mindset, offering a practical tool for addressing performance issues and implementing change in dynamic work environments.

‘Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in the Workplace: A Strategic and Actionable Guide’, Diversity Australia

Guides

This Diversity Australia resource provides practical guidance on integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into workplaces. It explores key concepts, outlines benefits like improved culture and business outcomes, and offers strategies for fostering inclusivity. Highlighting leadership's role and the need for ongoing training, it frames DEI as both a moral and strategic imperative, emphasising that building an inclusive workplace requires sustained commitment.

‘Relationships’, The Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI)

Guides

This resource from the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) examines the significance of relationships in First Nations governance. It covers cultural, community, and environmental connections, balancing roles, building trust, and fostering effective partnerships. The guide also explores allyship, network expansion, and practical strategies for creating balanced, respectful collaborations within Indigenous communities and beyond.

‘Managing the Managers: Nine Tips to Help Social Enterprises Build Outstanding Management Teams’, Next Billion

Articles

This NextBillion article provides nine essential strategies for building strong management teams in social enterprises. It highlights the importance of fostering a high-performing culture, implementing supportive systems, and prioritising continuous learning. Key approaches include effective talent assessment, incremental onboarding, meeting management, and coaching skill development. The article emphasises how strong management is vital for scaling operations and achieving meaningful impact.

'Leadership in Social Enterprise: How to Manage Yourself and the Team', Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Reports

This report by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship supports social enterprise leaders in tackling unique challenges like balancing social impact with commercial goals, managing diverse teams, and meeting stakeholder expectations. Grounded in global insights from interviews, case studies, and surveys, and developed with input from experienced social entrepreneurs, it offers practical, stage-specific guidance. Designed as a collaborative tool, it fosters knowledge sharing and equips leaders with strategies to drive mission-driven organisations effectively.

A Beginner’s Friendly Guide On How To Conduct Market Research, Sloovi

Guides

This concise resource provides a comprehensive guide on how to conduct market research, aimed at beginners. It explains the importance of market research, outlines different types and methods, and offers a step-by-step process for conducting research.

'Go-to Market Strategies', Harvard Innovation Labs

Videos

This is a long-form video lecture from Harvard Innovation Labs for conventional start-ups and business, but it provides a comprehensive framework for thinking about and planning 'go-to' market strategies.

A Guide to Empathy Mapping, Atlassian Team Playbook

Guides

This resource provides a guide to conducting an Empathy Mapping exercise, a technique used by teams to better understand their customers' needs and experiences. It outlines a step-by-step process for creating empathy maps, including preparation, running the session, and determining actionable insights from the exercise. The guide emphasises the importance of basing the empathy map on real customer data rather than assumptions, and suggests ways to use the resulting insights to improve products or services.

Social Procurement Fundamentals for Social Enterprises, Social Traders

Videos

This video tutorial covers what social procurement is, key drivers, how the Social Traders marketplace works, and what you need for your social enterprise to be ready for social procurement.​

'Outcomes Funds: Explained', Centre for Social Impact

Guides

This guide by CSI explains what an outcomes fund is - a financing mechanism that pools funding to support organisations addressing social issues, with payments tied to achieving specific measurable outcomes. This guide by CSI shares more detail on what and who are usually involved in setting up and managing an outcomes fund.

Branding Frameworks - the Brand Pyramid and Keller's Brand Equity Model, Mindtools

Articles

The Brand Pyramid and Keller's Brand Equity Model are complementary frameworks for understanding and building strong brands. The Brand Pyramid illustrates five stages customers go through in developing brand loyalty: Presence, Relevance, Performance, Advantage, and Bonding. Keller's model, depicted as a four-level pyramid, focuses on how companies can build brand equity: Brand Identity, Brand Meaning, Brand Response, and Brand Relationships. Both models emphasise the importance of understanding customer perceptions and emotions, and creating positive brand experiences.

‘The basics of customer journey mapping’, Smaply

Articles

Discover the basics of customer journey mapping—an end-to-end visualisation of your customers' experience. This article explains how journey mapping helps you understand customer needs, improve design processes, and boost satisfaction and loyalty. Learn its benefits, how to create a map, and use insights for better customer experiences.

‘The basics of stakeholder mapping’, Smaply

Articles

A stakeholder map captures the ecosystem surrounding a product or service from a specific perspective. This article explores what stakeholders are, the importance of stakeholder mapping, and the steps to create an effective map. It includes downloadable templates, a walkthrough video, and guidance on prioritising stakeholders, illustrating relationships, and analysing value exchanges.

'Communications Strategy 101', Communities Foundations of Canada

Guides

Learn how to create an effective communications strategy with this practical fact sheet for community organisations. Covering key topics such as audience identification, crafting messages, platform selection, and evaluation, it provides a step-by-step guide with exercises and tips to help community foundations implement and refine their communications efforts.

'Story Canvas', Digital Storytellers

Guides

Discover the Story Canvas—a practical tool to craft impactful, strategic stories tailored to your needs. Designed by Digital Storytellers, this downloadable canvas simplifies storytelling for nonprofits, social enterprises, and impact organisations. With step-by-step guidance and resources, it helps you create engaging stories that inspire action and advance your cause effectively.

'Transformational Ethical Storytelling (T.E.S.T.)', Our Race

Guides

Discover T.E.S.T., an anti-oppressive framework for ethical storytelling that prioritises the rights and needs of all individuals. T.E.S.T. empowers Story Holders to control their narratives while providing Story Caretakers with principles to ensure safe, ethical storytelling. Explore related resources, including guides and an ethical storytelling video, to deepen your understanding.

'Stories to save the world', Futerra

Reports

This resource explores the power of storytelling in addressing climate change - its underlying ideas can be applied to other areas of impact. It argues that while the science and technology for combating climate change exist, what's missing is the right story to motivate action.

Social media marketing made easy - video lesson and planner

Videos

This 40 minute video uses real life examples to share how to build, launch and optimise a simple social media strategy. It is a pragmatic guide for small organisations with limited resources and time-poor people wearing multiple hats.

Social media templates, Hootsuite

Articles

It’s difficult to keep up with the latest trends in social media. Hootsuite regularly updates its advice and offers many free tools for planning and posting on social media. This page pulls together 35 different templates and while they won’t all be relevant to you there are some useful ones in there.